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Ozzie Stevens Interview
SCUM 1979 WIKI: THE OZZIE STEVENS INTERVIEW In April 2013, we managed to get in contact with Scum actor Ozzie Stevens; many thanks to our good friend Mr Graham Fletcher-Cook for arranging contact with Ozzie! SCUM WIKI: Today we interview Mr Ozzie Stevens, who played Scum inmate ‘Smith’…Ozzie, thanks so much for taking time out to answer our questions! OZZIE STEVENS: No problem, let's go. SCUM WIKI: Firstly, how did you first hear about the castings, and what were your memories of the audition or selection process? OZZIE STEVENS: I too, am a product of the Anna Scher Theatre. Alan Clarke came to the theatre, saw some of us doing improvs, then he called me to his office, spoke a bit about the film, then he said “I say yes, or no”…he said yes, and I got the part. SCUM WIKI: What was Alan Clarke like to work with? OZZIE STEVENS: A challenge, he likes things to look very realistic, so the ‘Murderball’ game was like a free for all, whoever had the ball got battered (for real). I worked with Clarkie again on the TV play ‘''Contact''’, a play about paras in Northern Ireland. This was critically acclaimed. SCUM WIKI: Along with James (Sean Chapman) and Chambers (Ricky Wales) you seemed to be a secondary gang of three, after Banks, Richards and Eckersley – we have a theory that James was a kind of ‘Daddy’ of C-Wing block with Smith and Chambers as his backup; did the script imply this or was it discussed in rehearsals? OZZIE STEVENS: Sorry to be boring, but no! SCUM WIKI: Did your character have any backstory, or you did create any to motivate who he was? OZZIE STEVENS: Once again, not really. I was young, and this was my first movie, so I just did what I was told. SCUM WIKI: Describe Smith in one sentence. OZZIE STEVENS: Nice lad, but easily led. SCUM WIKI: Your scenes included the Governor’s inspections, The Wing Meeting and of course, the infamous Greenhouse Scene where your gang attack and sexually assault Davis…what memories do you have of these scenes and their pre-filming preparations? OZZIE STEVENS: Let's get straight to it, the greenhouse was hard for me; to make the punch look realistic then flip him over, etc…I needed a bit of persuading, so the fight arranger took me to one side and helped me find my aggression. SCUM WIKI: What was the most challenging aspect of working on the Scum production? OZZIE STEVENS: 1. To keep it a secret; because the original TV play was banned, we filmed this with the script title ‘''THE BOYS IN BLACK''’ so no-one knew we were making Scum. And, 2. The weather, some days were snow, some days not, so we would be redoing some scenes with or without snow according to what we had already done. SCUM WIKI: What amusing or interesting stories do you recall from filming? OZZIE STEVENS: Whilst doing the greenhouse scene, the tea lady came in with tea and cakes; there was lots of banter about using the cream to ‘assist’ in the scene! SCUM WIKI: What were the cast and crew like to work with? OZZIE STEVENS: Well, luckily I already knew most of the cast from Anna Schers: John Blundell, Ray Burdis, Herbert Norville, Phil Daniels. SCUM WIKI: Have you worked with any of them since or kept regular contact? OZZIE STEVENS: I used to play in a celebrity football team with Ray Winstone and Phil Daniels. I have spoken to Phil Daniels on Facebook, that’s about it. SCUM WIKI: When did you last watch the film yourself? OZZIE STEVENS: Must be over 5 years. SCUM WIKI: Have you seen the 2010 film Dog Pound a remake based on Scum set in a North American youth correction facility? OZZIE STEVENS: No. SCUM WIKI: Tell us about the other productions you worked on, in particular Contact, your other Clarke production. OZZIE STEVENS: I loved working on this production, it was hard work; we basically lived and ate like solders…and who wouldn't love running through the Welsh countryside, firing real rifles and avoiding large explosions! SCUM WIKI: Are there any recent productions you can tell us about, and what hobbies and interests does Ozzie Stevens like to pursue? OZZIE STEVENS: Haven't done an acting job for a long time; at the moment, I'm into carp fishing in this country, and more often in France. SCUM WIKI: Ozzie, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and memories with us today, and we wish you all the best on all your current and future endeavours. OZZIE STEVENS: That’s alright, hope you got what you wanted…Cheers! See Also *Cast Interviews *Ozzie Stevens *Smith *Characters & Cast *Main Menu